Old School Essentials with Advanced Fantasy Genre Rules, Unearthed Arcana's Players Roll All the Dice and Black Streams : Solo Heroes in The Emirates of Ylaruam with The Nightmares Underneath. I have an idea where I would like to take it, but I'll play to find out. So, I've got the original Ismael written at the beginning and again at the end to reflect how the module included with Solo Heroes changed him.
Ismael al-Tahir of the Awaliq, 1st level Lawful Alasiyani Ranger
Shoulder length black hair with dark eyes, the tanned ranger dreamt of living the life of a corsair. He had grown up a nomad, foraging and hunting. Ismael did not own much, barely maintaining the equipment that he already possessed. With what gear he could muster, plain wool clothing and the sandals on his feet, Ismael headed east from Sulba toward the Sea of Dread, Ylaruam three days ahead.
S 13 (+1 / 3:6 / +5%) I 08 W 10 D 09 C 12 C 11 (4 retainers / 7 loyalty)
AB +0 (+1 / +0) AC 13 / 12 without shield HP 6 / 6 MV 90' / 30'
Saves : D 12 W 13 P 14 B 15 S 16
Abilities : Awareness, Foraging and Hunting, Pursuit, Surprise Attack, Tracking (20%)
Languages : Common and Neutral
Gear (411 coins weight) : backpack, leather armor, shield, spear, standard rations (7), tinderbox, torches (6), waterskin, 1 gold
0 experience
... and The Lost Oasis of Jammudaru
Ismael wandered the desert east of Sulba, the setting sun allowing the heat to slowly dissipate as night approached. Two more days, he told himself. Two more days, and he could rest in Ylaruam before continuing east.
"With what money?" he muttered to himself, glancing at the practically empty leather pouch hiding beneath his loose fitting robe. Water? Ismael had water. Food? A small supply, to be sure. But coin? The life of a nomad was not filled with riches. A corsair, however...
Ahead, an oasis slowly came into view. The Awaliq usually avoided that place. A relic from another time, it had been looted and ransacked years ago. Ismael was not walking with the Awaliq now, and The Way did not discourage curiosity. Ismael's feet took him closer to the ruins. What had it been called? Manahil? Manasir? He scratched his beard absently.
Crumbled mortar, old ashes mixed with sand, broken and burned framework were all that greeted Ismael. In the center of what had been the village was the well that had once offered some comfort to the populace. A small, hairless head peeked out from the well, staring at Ismael before dropping below the lip. A loud splash echoed up from the mouth of the well; a body striking water.
Ismael rushed to the well and looked down into darkness. "Hello?" he called. Silence.
Could this be his first adventure? Wasn't the life of a corsair filled with them? But to leap down a well. As his eyes acclimated to the darkness below, Ismael could see a faint glow lining parts of the wall. Moss, perhaps? Perhaps. He scratched his beard again before coming to a decision. This would be his first adventure: to find whoever it was that lived in this well.
[Ability Check : 1d20 vs. Dexterity. Result : 2]
Ismael's fingers were strong, and his feet were practiced in climbing the hills and rocky faces south of Sulba. Not so accomplished as some but enough for this task. What Ismael had thought was glowing moss was a phosphorescent slime. The Ranger within him made note of it, unfamiliar with what this could be.
The bottom of the well was filled with water. Ahead, a shore of sorts lit by the glowing slime. Two tunnels retreated further into the cavern. Ismael waded through the water, feeling the brushes of something living in the water. Tiny fish, perhaps? Then the brushes became more adamant, becoming grabs.
Ismael swam faster, feeling the grip across his ankles and wrists. He tore free from the pull and pushed further toward the shore. The water began to churn as pale hands rose to the surface and attempted to pull him down. He scrabbled to the rocky shore and pressed himself back against the rock wall. The bubbling waters stilled. Catching his breath, staring at where the water had tried to grab him, Ismael readied his spear and shield. He had been careless; he would not be so careless today.
Left with a choice between the passage on the left and the one on the right, Ismael decided left was as good a choice as any. The passage opened into a cave, the floor covered with muddy water. This time, there were three tunnels: left, right and straight. Ismael recalled the grasping hands that had greeted him and gripped his spear tight. Left again.
[Surprise Check : 1d6. Result : 1]
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 2 vs. 11 three times. Result : 2 pass, 1 fail. 1 point of damage]
As prepared as Ismael tried to be, he was not ready for the three pale bodies that rose from the mud. Portions of their bodies had sloughed off from having been submerged for so long. Bones showed beneath thighs, and teeth appeared where cheeks should have been. They rushed toward Ismael, grabbing with weak, skeletal fingers. One managed to score a hit, sharp talons slicing thin lines into his face.
[Initiative Check : 1d6 vs. 1d6. Result : Hungry Zombies, 1; Ismael, 6]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 14. Result : 10. Fray Die : 1 damage]
Ismael drives his spear forward, but the initial surprise caused him to stab wildly. The thing closest to him received a strike into its face as the shield rim drove into the creature's mouth. Part of its jaw broke away, and it collapsed back into the muddy water.
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 11 two times. Result : 2 pass]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 14. Result : 18. Fray Die : 1 damage. Total : 2 damage]
One zombie rushed forward and tried to wrestle Ismael into the water. Ismael responded with a sharp crack across the thing's head with the end of his spear. The reanimated corpse fell to the floor, its head misshapen by the impact and broken bones. The remaining zombie raked its claws across Ismael's back, the leather warding off the worst of the impact. He turned and smashed the end of his spear down on top of its head, it, too, falling into the murky water.
Taking the opportunity to regain his composure, Ismael spied another person watching him from the corridor he had just been ready to enter. This one had hair, dark hair. Human, though very disheveled and dirty with tattered clothing. She half hides behind the wall of the passage.
"Peace be upon you," she says, quiet with a small hint of a giggle as if she had made some kind of joke.
"And upon you peace," Ismael replies, just as quiet with a small hint of disbelief as if he could not understand what he was seeing. "Who are you?"
"Jamila," a slight pause as she tried to remember the rest, "ibn Alia. Of Manahil." Stilted, as if her name had not been said in some time.
"How long have you been here, Jamila?" he asked.
"Since the attack."
"Since...," Ismael looked behind him then upward as if he could peer through the cave's ceiling. "You have lived down here for over five years? Wha- How?"
Jamila smiled. "By the Eternal Truth and the blessings of Al-Kalim, of course," she said cheerfully. "Through the grace of the Immortal Guardians and Al-Kalim, the creatures do not come near my home."
"Why haven't you tried leaving?"
"And leave my friends and family? Where would I go?"
"If you came with me, I could lead you to Sulba or Ylaruam. Both are close by."
"Leave? With a specter conjured from my mind?" Jamila laughed. "No, I think I will stay right here. Where it's safe."
Ismael looked back at the muddy water, "Safe?"
"From the Nightmare Priest. He is the one that brings back my friends and family."
"Where is this Nightmare Priest?" he asked skeptically.
"Go up that way," she points to the middle passage, "Then turn left. He waits there."
"Waits for what?"
"The return of the Prince of Nightmares."
"I see," said Ismael. He turned to go. "You're sure you do not want to leave?"
"As sure as you are just some kind of spirit."
Ismael nodded to himself and turned toward the passage Jamila had suggested. The corridor snaked back and forth, the phosphorescent slime highlighting crude carvings of buildings and stick figures. Four large slime covered masses lined either side of the corridor before turning to the left.
[Surprise Check : 1d6 vs. 1d6. Result : Toadspawn, 3; Ismael, 2. Neither side surprised]
The slimy masses quivered and pulsed, the skin split like some form of egg hatching. Four pale skinned humanoids emerge, covered in the yolk and ichor. Webbed fingers stretch and end in black nailed talons. Their dark hair slicked back wetly.
[Initiative Check : 1d6 vs. 1d6. Result : Toadspawn, 4; Ismael, 2.]
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 11 four times. Result : 3 fail, 1 pass. 3 points of damage]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 +1 vs. AC 12. Result : 12. Fray Die : 1 damage. Total : 3 damage]
[Monster morale : 2d6 vs. 9. Result : 7. Stand and fight.]
The toadspawn screeched with primal fury and launched at Ismael. The sheer weight of numbers overpowered him temporarily. He felt one grasp his arm. Another slashed into his leg. Another slammed bodily into him, pressing Ismael against the wall. The last bit into his neck, the leather armor keeping most of his neck safe.
He growled in response and struck at the one in front of him with a vicious kick to the knee. The shield arm ripped free and slammed into the newborn thing's face. He reversed the swing and drove the shield into another toadspawn's chest, granting himself enough room to stab it through the abdomen. The spear also reversed course and slammed a second toadspawn in the chest. A shield bash and spear thrust later, and the creature fell to the floor. The monster recovering from the kick to the knee attempted to rise, but Ismael ended it with a quick jab to the heart with his spear.
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 11. Result : 1 pass]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 12. Result : 4. Fray Die : 1 damage]
The toadspawn was too enraged to consider its three companions had fallen. It swept its hand down in an overhead slash. Ismael brought up his shield to parry then stabbed the spear through its ribs. The toadspawn gurgled and fell beside its newborn family. Ismael's confidence grew, and he followed the bend as directed by Jamila.
The passage opened into a large cave lined with the glowing slime. On a stone dais of sorts, the bloated form of what had once been human sleeps. Snores softly filled the chamber. Its immense form had been twisted by some vile force, its skin covered in sores and pustules that seep with the phosphorescent ooze. A shimmer caught Ismael's eye. Just beyond the stone throne was a small pile of treasure. Coins. Gems.
Ismael weighed his options. This must be the Nightmare Priest Jamila talked about. The one that reanimated these ... things. The Way spoke of the Ritual of Judgment. To use knowledge and reason. And Jamila had been the only human being he had encountered, a little disturbed, to be sure, but human. These other things had done nothing but grab and pull and attack him. He gripped his spear. This must be how his first adventure would end!
[Ability Check : 1d20 vs. Dexterity. Result : 11]
Ismael stepped as quietly as he could into the room. He had made it half way across when the monstrosity stirred and opened its eyes. It affixed Ismael with a baleful glare.
"You dare try to sneak up on me?" it asked, voice rumbling. "I am the Nightmare Priest. Bring me Jamila, and I may allow you to leave."
"Bring you Jamila?" Ismael scoffed. "For what?"
"Your life. Or hers," the Nightmare Priest grumbled.
"Perhaps neither?" Ismael quipped, not quite feeling as confident as he sounded.
"So be it."
[Initiative Check : 1d6 vs. 1d6. Result : Priest, 6; Ismael : 2]
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 13. Result : 1 fail. 0 (!) damage]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 13. Result : 19. Total : 1 damage]
[Player rolls Save vs. Paralysis : 1d20 vs. 14. Result : 1 fail and 1 damage]
In spite of its bulk, the Nightmare Priest was deceptively quick. It rose to its feet and charged from the dais, a heavy fist meeting Ismael's abruptly raised shield. The force of the blow knocked Ismael back. He returned the charge and drove his spear into the Priest's midsection. The spear pierced one of the pustules which erupted with caustic fluid, scalding the back of Ismael's hand.
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 13. Result : 1 pass.]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 13. Result : 20. Total : 2 damage]
[Player rolls Save vs. Paralysis : 1d20 vs. 14. Result : 1 fail and 1 damage]
The Nightmare Priest howled in pain and flailed angrily at Ismael. Once more, the shield came up to greet the blow, the weight pushed Ismael toward the floor. He grunted and pushed upward, driving his spear up into the Priest's ribs. Another pustule exploded, coating Ismael in glowing slime.
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 13. Result : 1 fail. 2 damage]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 13. Result : 11]
[Player rolls Defense : 1d20 + 3 vs. 13. Result : 1 pass]
[Player rolls Attack : 1d20 + 1 vs. AC 13. Result : 16. Total : 1 damage]
[Player rolls Save vs. Paralysis : 1d20 vs. 14. Result : 1 success using dodging doom]
In reply, the Nightmare Priest smashed Ismael's face with a clenched fist. The jarring attack caused Ismael to miss with his follow up. The Priest attempted to press the advantage and beat at Ismael's shield. Ismael seized the opportunity and kept the shield raised above his head. Once again, the spear drove into the Nightmare Priest's body, the pustules exploded and covered Ismael in glowing ooze. The Nightmare Priest and Ismael both fell to the floor.
[Player rolls for Jamila's Cure Light Wounds : 1d6 + 1. Result : 2]
"You're finally awake," Jamila says, again too cheerfully.
"I could have sworn the Nightmare Priest was going to kill me," Ismael muttered.
"You were unconscious from his slime, but I offered what little healing Al-Kalim would allow."
"Thank you," Ismael slowly rose from the floor with a groan. His eyes spied the treasure, and he glanced back at Jamila. "There's coin here. I could help you to Sulba or Ylaruam."
"Follow a ghost into the desert? No, I think I'm safer here. You just killed the Nightmare Priest. Maybe my family and friends will rest peacefully now."
Ismael shook his head and hobbled over to the small hoard. "As you wish," he said.
"Be safe. Maybe you'll return again," Jamila said over her shoulder, walking back home.
"Maybe," he muttered to himself. At least he had coin, but it almost cost him his life. He did leave a small pile of gold in the hallway where he met Jamila. Just in case...
Ismael al-Tahir of the Awaliq, 1st level Lawful Alasiyani Ranger
Shoulder length black hair with dark eyes, the tanned ranger dreamt of living the life of a corsair. He had grown up a nomad, foraging and hunting. Ismael did not own much, barely maintaining the equipment that he already possessed. With what gear he could muster, plain wool clothing and the sandals on his feet, Ismael headed east from Sulba toward the Sea of Dread, Ylaruam now two days ahead after his encounter with the Nightmare Priest in the village of Manahil. The village where he met a strange woman named Jamila ibn Alia.
S 13 (+1 / 3:6 / +5%) I 08 W 10 D 09 C 12 C 11 (4 retainers / 7 loyalty)
AB +0 (+1 / +0) AC 13 / 12 without shield HP 5 / 6 MV 60' / 20'
Saves : D 12 W 13 P 14 B 15 S 16
Abilities : Awareness, Foraging and Hunting, Pursuit, Surprise Attack, Tracking (20%)
Languages : Common and Neutral
Gear (800 coins weight) : backpack, gems worth 50 gold, leather armor, potion of healing, scroll of read languages, shield, spear, standard rations (6), tinderbox, torches (6), waterskin, 378 gold
150 experience
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